Senior Security Researcher

Darktrace; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days holiday plus public holidays

Birthday day off

Private medical insurance for you and

Life insurance 4x base salary

Salary sacrifice pension

Enhanced family leave

Employee Assistance Program

Cycle to work

Job summary

Darktrace is seeking a Security Researcher focused on AI systems. This hybrid role requires 2 days per week in either London or Cambridge, contributing to rapid prototyping and open-ended research while advising product, development and machine learning teams.

You will explore trends in generative AI security, assess attacker tradecraft, and liaise with stakeholders to improve product resilience. Strong communication and problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Strong foundation in security and a keen interest in emerging AI technologies.
• Comfort navigating evolving technical landscapes and applying knowledge to identify threats.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Investigate trends in generative AI security and attacker tradecraft.
• Coordinate with development, product and ML teams to support feature development.
• Provide detailed, actionable feedback on product performance and resilience.
• Proactively analyze threats to network, endpoint and cloud environments.

Skills

Security research

Generative AI

Analytical thinking

Clear communication

Tools

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms

Job description

Darktrace is a global leader in AI for cybersecurity that keeps organizations ahead of the changing threat landscape every day. Founded in 2013, Darktrace provides the essential cybersecurity platform protecting nearly 10,000 organizations from unknown threats using its proprietary AI.

The Darktrace Active AI Security Platform™ delivers a proactive approach to cyber resilience to secure the business across the entire digital estate – from network to cloud to email. Breakthrough innovations from our R&D teams have resulted in over 200 patent applications filed. Darktrace’s platform and services are supported by over 2,400 employees around the world. To learn more, visit http://www.darktrace.com.

Job Description:

This is a hybrid role, with a compulsory attendance of 2 days a week in either the London or Cambridge office.

What will I be doing:

As a Security Researcher with a focus on AI systems, you will contribute to a range of projects ranging from rapid prototyping of new ideas to open-ended research initiatives. As a domain expert, you will provide initial insights and ongoing feedback supporting product development, communicating with the product, development, and machine learning teams as needed. Other responsibilities will include:

• Investigating trends in generative AI security,
• Researching and investigating attacker tradecraft,
• Co-ordinating with relevant development, product, and machine learning teams,
• Provide detailed and actionable feedback on product performance.

What experience do I need:

We’re looking for someone with a strong foundation in security and a keen interest in emerging AI technologies. You should be comfortable navigating evolving technical landscapes, understanding how modern systems are built and used, and applying that knowledge to identify and investigate potential threats. The role requires both analytical thinking and the ability to clearly communicate complex ideas to a range of audiences.

• Understanding of the evolving landscape of generative AI systems and the ways in which they are commonly used (e.g. popular foundation models, current agentic architectures, etc.)
• Knowledge of attacker tradecraft targeting generative AI chatbots and agentic systems (e.g. direct and indirect prompt injection, poisoning, inference, and extraction attacks)
• Demonstrable experience investigating attacker tradecraft targeting in at least one of the following coverage areas: Network, Endpoint, Cloud or Kubernetes,
• An ability to reason logically in unfamiliar situations, with an aptitude for problem solving,
• The ability to communicate technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits:

• 23 days’ holiday + all public holidays, rising to 25 days after 2 years of service,
• Additional day off for your birthday,
• Private medical insurance which covers you, your cohabiting partner and children,
• Life insurance of 4 times your base salary,
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme,
• Enhanced family leave,
• Confidential Employee Assistance Program,
• Cycle to work scheme.